A corneal profiler is proposed, with the following features: 1) Long working distance: at least 4 inches 2) Full corneal diameter: 10mm. 3) Independent of corneal state: able to work with corneas wet by tears or dry(er) during surgery. This is because this device works by scattered light, not by reflection. 4) Fast: this is TV rate imaging profiler, so a measurement takes 1/30 second. 5) Low Cost: $5,000 is the target price for a complete system. 6) Accurate: 1/4 diopter resolution. 7) Insensitive to alignment error: because the instrument does not depend on reflected light, its profile map is independent of viewing direction of axis. Rotation of the map to the corneal apex can then be done in software. An instrument with these capabilities is critically needed for monitoring the progress of corrective corneal surgery and related procedures, as a research tool, and in more precise and rapid fitting of contact lenses.